Hiking at Jennings Environmental Education Center

5 miles of trails

Jennings offers many hiking opportunities that traverse varying terrain and diverse habitats. Visitors may walk through more than 300 acres of forest and prairie. The trail system is designed as a series of loops, with trail signs at every intersection, making it possible to choose a variety of hiking experiences.

Trails are designed for foot traffic only.

Bicycles and motorized vehicles are prohibited.

Pets are permitted, but must remain on a leash at all times.

Some trails are appropriate for cross-country skiing.

Woodland Trails

Black Cherry Trail

0.5 mile, easiest hiking

This loop trail travels through both upland and bottomland and is good habitat for spring wildflowers, ferns and birds. The trail follows Big Run, a small stream that flows through the park for 0.12 mile.

Deer Trail

0.35 mile, easiest hiking

Accessed by following Blazing Star Trail for 0.22 mile, this short, flat, wide loop trail travels through thick, brushy habitat. A demonstration scale deer exclosure has been erected along this trail.

Glacier Ridge Trail

0.31 mile, easiest hiking

This trail is part of a 15-mile trail that links Jennings to Moraine State Park. It travels though some of the most scenic woodlands of Jennings. More information about this trail is available at the center office.

Hepatica Trail

0.26 mile, easiest hiking

Spring wildflowers, such as the fragile hepatica, can be seen along this connecting trail that links Oakwoods Trail to Glacier Ridge Trail.

Massasauga Trail

0.47 mile, easiest hiking

Starting in the prairie, this trail soon enters a mixed hardwood forest of predominately oak and hickory. The dry forest soon drops into the damp, scenic Big Run valley, providing an opportunity to observe barred owls, before rising again to meet Deer Trail.

Oakwoods Trail

1.2 miles, easiest hiking

This is the longest trail at Jennings and covers varying terrain and several different types of habitat, including an area recently influenced by beaver. It can be accessed from Deer Trail or Massasauga Trail. Unique to this trail are several manmade pits. It is believed that the pits were excavated in the 19th century for ore bearing clay, which was taken to local iron furnaces.

Old Elm Trail

0.25 mile, easiest hiking

Starting west of the center office and looping back to it, this trail passes through an area of the park once dominated by large elm trees. Most succumbed to Dutch elm disease in the 1930s, leaving nothing but rotting logs behind.

Old Field Trail

0.18 mile, easiest hiking

A connecting trail which links Deer Trail to Oakwoods Trail, Old Field Trail passes through an area dominated by hawthorns and other small shrubs. This is evidence that the area was a farm field many years ago.

Old Mill Trail

0.14 mile, easiest hiking

Accessed by following Woodwhisper Trail for 0.04 mile, this trail connects the center office to Black Cherry Trail and passes by the remains of a 19th century sawmill.

Ridge Trail

0.68 mile, more difficult hiking

This rough, wooded trail passes through the only area open to hunting in the park and can be an interesting extension to Black Cherry Trail. Large boulders and rocky terrain highlight this steep trail.

Wetlands Kiosk Trail

0.04 mile, easiest hiking

Accessed by following Woodwhisper Trail for 0.08 mile, this short, extension trail leads to an interpretive kiosk overlooking a passive wetland treatment site.

Woodwhisper Trail

0.16 mile, easiest hiking

Popular with people with strollers, this paved, flat loop travels through an upland, mixed hardwood forest.

Prairie Trails

The eastern prairie is a rare ecosystem that is home to the endangered massasauga rattlesnake. Although this small and reclusive snake is very timid, it is venomous and visitors should be careful when walking through its home. Staying on the mowed paths and keeping alert can reduce the chances of an unexpected encounter.

Blazing Star Trail

0.22 mile, easiest hiking

Named for the beautiful wildflower that turns the prairie purple in late July and early August, this self-guiding interpretive trail travels through the middle of the prairie. Follow the interpretive signs and discover how the prairie was formed and why it is unique.

Prairie Loop Trail

0.28 mile, easiest hiking

The interpretive signs continue on this short loop that can be accessed from Blazing Star Trail. This trail is recommended for viewing wildflowers in the summer and fall and for cross-country skiing in the winter.

North Country National Scenic Trail

This national scenic trail passes through Jennings and utilizes a number of the woodland trails, including Glacier Ridge, Ridge, and Black Cherry. This blue-blazed trail system links North Dakota to New York, traveling through seven states for a distance of more than 3,200 miles.